# Calling someone "sister" without being related?



## Mercy (Dec 30, 2009)

So a few days ago my mother unexpectedly asked me if I thought it was strange if you call someone who isn't related to you "sister" or "uncle" or even "grandpa" and "grandma". And, being from a small area in Alaska, I said no. I have a few "aunts" who aren't related to me whatsoever, but I still refer to them as that and they acknowledge me as their neice. I have two boys at my school who call me their sister, and I call them my brothers, even though we don't share the same blood. Since I'm in this small town setting where everyone knows each other, we all call each other family in some way. (But that also could be partly because my family is adopted into a Tlingit clan and everyone else in that clan is considered "family". :]) So, obviously, it's something that I've grown up with my whole life and haven't known anything else.

So my question is, is this weird? It just got me thinking because I don't live in a big city. Does anyone else do this? Is it different in bigger areas? Or maybe it's the same? Shower me with your opinions. :D

Sorry if this is in the wrong spot. =X


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## Coloursfall (Dec 30, 2009)

Oh I do this all the time. I have a couple of guys who call me their sister, and treat me like it too, mostly since I've know them since I was a wee tyke. I have a few aunts and uncles who aren't actually related, most of whom are my mom's friends from before I was born (like my godparents, who I call my aunt and uncle).

Plus I just have a few close friends that are my siblings practically, like moony is my sister since we're so close and so on. I'm from a pretty good-sized city, though not _too_ big (around 25 000 or so people) too.


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## departuresong (Dec 30, 2009)

It would probably be a little more awkward in an area that isn't so intimate, but I wouldn't call it... _weird_.


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## opaltiger (Dec 30, 2009)

I have six aunts and uncles, only one is actually related to me. Everyone does it.


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## Kai Lucifer (Dec 30, 2009)

One word: Nuns.


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Dec 30, 2009)

It's not exactly _weird_. Doesn't seem to be as common as where you live, but, y'know, whatever. I have an 'Aunt' Val, but she's just my mom's best friend, so...


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## Barubu (Dec 30, 2009)

Me and Blastoise's "aunt Val"-she's _my_ godmother-isn't actually related to us, and I call some people at my school my brother or sister.


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## Tarvos (Dec 30, 2009)

I don't. A sister is a sister, a brother is a brother, an aunt is an aunt.


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## Mercy (Dec 30, 2009)

Blastoise said:


> It's not exactly _weird_. Doesn't seem to be as common as where you live, but, y'know, whatever. I have an 'Aunt' Val, but she's just my mom's best friend, so...


Hmmm... true. Even though most of this island's people -are- related to each other in some way. Excluding a few families, like mine.

Maybe "weird" isn't the word I was looking for. More like just something that they don't do?


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## Dannichu (Dec 30, 2009)

I don't think I do, which is a shame; I wish I did have more fake family, especially considering how little actual family I have - I've seen five family members this year.

As for "calling" someone sister (I may be taking this too literally, but I'm curious) - does anyone actually do that? I never understood the thing where you actually refer to people by their relation to you.


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## Thanks for All the Fish (Dec 30, 2009)

Dannichu said:


> As for "calling" someone sister (I may be taking this too literally, but I'm curious) - does anyone actually do that? I never understood the thing where you actually refer to people by their relation to you.


Well, actually calling your sister 'sister'... well, from what I've seen, it's way more common in Spanish (or I could be mistranslating) than in English.

As for calling an unrelated person sister, well, lke Danni I don't really have anyone to do that *with* x: But caaling familiy friends aunt and uncle's very common. Apperently my favorite uncle wasn't really my uncle until pretty recently.


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## Mercy (Dec 31, 2009)

Dannichu said:
			
		

> As for "calling" someone sister (I may be taking this too literally, but I'm curious) - does anyone actually do that? I never understood the thing where you actually refer to people by their relation to you.


Uhmmm... I don't think I do that with any of my relatives, except for my sister. On the rare occasion that we pass by each other at boarding school, I'll usually say something like, "Sister! :D" It's just a habit. And it helps other people learn that we actually are sisters even though we look nothing alike. =X

As for seeing an aunt or uncle, I usually just say, "Aunt ___" or "Uncle ____" because I think just calling them aunt and uncle is kinda silly.


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## blazheirio889 (Dec 31, 2009)

Dannichu said:


> As for "calling" someone sister (I may be taking this too literally, but I'm curious) - does anyone actually do that? I never understood the thing where you actually refer to people by their relation to you.


My entire family calls each other by their 'position'; for example, I'm 'sister' to my mom, my dad, my grandpa, etc., not just my brother. However we only do that in Chinese. If we use English to call each other - which is uncommon - we mysteriously revert to calling family members by their names.

I have no idea what other people do though.


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## Peter Shadeslayer (Dec 31, 2009)

I don't think it's strange at all. The topic of nuns and monks is good to bring up.


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## Momoharu (Dec 31, 2009)

If the Japanese do it, I don't see why it's weird.

Oh wait.

(J/k btw.)


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## Dr Frank (Dec 31, 2009)

Not at all strange. I got a couple of, hmm, something relations who I don't even know are related to me how, so I just call them cousins. And, of course, over here, any friend of your mother's, or female relation who's old enough to be your aunt, becomes your 'aunt'. Be it south in the desert or north in the glaciers. All across the country. And also. My grammar is legitimate. Not sure about calling someone sister. I call my real cousins brothers (and vice-versa). That's about it.


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## surskitty (Dec 31, 2009)

I don't call people 'sister' or 'brother', but I have a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles, many of whom aren't related to me.  Family friends end up as cousins and aunts/uncles, and my family has a _lot_ of extended family that stays in touch with everyone.  So.


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## Teh Ebil Snorlax (Jan 1, 2010)

I refer to my best friend Glen as my brother.

I also consider my aunt Sharon's friend Mags an aunt but I've never actually referred to her as my Aunt Mags.

There's also Auntie C but everyone but her sister and my debating teacher call her that.


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## Dinru (Jan 3, 2010)

I don't think it's weird. In fact, I have a relative who's called by a different title due to honorary sistership.

(Basically, my maternal grandma was best friends with my maternal grandpa's niece, so I always call her 'Aunt' even though she's my second cousin)


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## Mewtwo (Jan 3, 2010)

My mom's best friend, my "Aunt" Tammy. Her daughters (my "cousins") are awesome, too.


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## Pikachu (Jan 3, 2010)

I do. It's kinda standard in Islam, where you call someone who's about the same age as you (give or take 5-7 yrs.) "brother" or "sister" and calling someone considerably older than you (someone who has kids and is about the same age as one's parents) "uncle" or "aunt".

So I've got plenty of brothers and sisters, even though only two are related to me.


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## M&F (Jan 4, 2010)

My brother does it to a friend of his.

Sometimes I go along with it.


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## MentheLapin (Jan 4, 2010)

I only do it as a joke, i.e. "I hear ya, sistaah! *Z-Snap*" Then people just look at me funny D:


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## Eclipse (Jan 6, 2010)

It's probably because I'm Asian, but I do this all the time. Well, not when I was speaking in English, but you know. xD I think people just do it to denote people who are older than you (that's how we do it at least). Same thing with calling someone older, brother and such, and a person even older uncle.

Although, I would never call someone my "sister" or "brother" in English, unless it's a metaphor. :U


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